Midnight Romeo
by SimplyMrsWhitlock
Summary: It's been five years since the Cullens, vampire family of six, left. Bella now lives in Seattle where recently, a serial killer is on a rampage. Just a heads up, it's not Victoria. So who is this mystery person? Is it even a person? AU Rated Ma for Lemons
1. The Midnight Romeo

**A/N **

**To the people who had read my last failed attempts to post on FF(dot)net : thanks so much for sticking with me and not jumping ship. I _will_ be working on this until it reaches the end.  
><strong>**  
><strong>**I just want to thank my beta SnarkyMuch and my prereader Alley Cat. Without them, my story would look horrible and most-likely wouldn't have made much sense.**

**The banner to this story can be found on my profile.**

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><p>Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight.<br>Songs, quotes, etc. belong to their rightful owners.  
>All other ideas come from the Author.<br>Copyright © 2011.

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><p><strong>Jasper<strong>

"Life sucks and then you die." Well whoever said that knew nothing about being a vampire. Your life could _suck_ to the lowest point in history, but if you get bitten by a vampire, you will have a long wait until you die, if you ever die. But by then, you'll be the one doing the life sucking. No matter how bad you don't want to, even if it _kills_ you on the inside, you will drain the life out of humans. Every. Last. Drop.

But life as a vampire wasn't that bad. Hell, who am I kidding? I was in a dark alley, minutes from midnight, doing what I've always been doing, waiting for my prey. This time of night was becoming way too familiar. It was like déjà vu, except the victims had different facial features. The one thing that they all had in common was their emotions; shock, worry, and fear. _A fuck-ton of fear._

It was hard, always taking from the innocent, even though most weren't as innocent as they appeared. Usually, I'd target the ones who deserved this, but the past few weeks had been scarce and I had grown thirsty. But in the end, no one deserved to die; good, bad, or somewhere in between. It didn't matter, though, because as humans always say, "Only the strong will survive," and I was amongst the strongest.

My thoughts were broken as the sound of a nearby bus stopping drew my attention. I could hear the doors creak open, and the driver huffing out, "Have a good night."

A younger, more feminine voice mumbled a reply, surprisingly too low for me to comprehend. A pair of heels hit the pavement, and, the bus drove off. I peered around the corner of the grungy alleyway in time to see the bus drive by. My throat flared, the flames licking their way up as the venom pooled in my mouth, causing me to swallow it back. The girl who stepped off the bus was heading in my direction.

Such a stupid, naïve little girl. She couldn't have been over twenty years old. She should know by now not to walk down dark alleys alone, especially at night. All types of monsters could be waiting around for her. I should know; I was one of them.

I inhaled her scent as a dry wind blew her dark, shoulder-length hair my way. Mouthwatering, absolutely lip-smacking. Not wanting to give someone the chance to see my attack, I traveled quickly down the alley, fading into the shadows next to a dirty dumpster. The only sounds were the female's shoes hitting the wet asphalt road, and the water dripping from the cables and air conditioners above. It had rained this afternoon, making every human smell much more delectable. The sounds of her heels grew louder, and the girl moved closer. She smelled so inviting. It was a wonder that I hadn't attacked her yet. Just peeking at her, I could see the faint blue and green veins through her pale complexion.

She stumbled, obviously intoxicated. The smell of alcohol was pouring off of her the moment she stepped off the bus. A slight grimace graced my face as I thought about the amount of alcohol that must be in her blood stream; her blood would be bitter. Any type of tainted blood would be bitter, less delicious than pure, uncontaminated blood. Luckily for me, the smell of the alcohol didn't cover the scent of the hot blood that pumped to and from her rapidly moving heart. I swallowed a mouthful of venom as the girl started to approach the area I was hidden at.

"Shit," she mumbled as she stepped a little hard, breaking the heel of her right pink pump.

She bent over to examine the shoe and as she started to straighten back up, her green eyes connected with my darkened red ones. I felt her fear raise from zero to one-hundred, and, before she could even make any type of noise, my hand was covering her mouth tightly. I could feel her lips crushed between my hard skin and her teeth. I looked at my watch quickly. One minute to midnight.

_Fifty nine._

_Fifty eight._

_Fifty seven._

Taking out a small knife my father gave me back in my human years, I sliced her neck, right at the jugular. My hand tightened over her mouth as she started to make noise. It may seem silly to others as to why I would use a knife when I have razor sharp teeth, but a slice is much easier to understand in a city than a bite mark.

_Fifty._

_Forty nine._

_Forty eight._

Greedily, I sucked at her neck. The slightly bitter blood soothing the fire in my throat, making a slight moan slip out. Usually, I participate in a little blood and sex, but my need for blood overrode my need for sex. I could feel the fear in the girl increase as well as the pain she felt as my venom dripped through the slice, paralyzing her. Her screams and cries were still being muffled by my hand as the blood continued to flow down my throat. I kept my eye on the thin hand of my watch, counting down the seconds until midnight.

_Twenty._

_Nineteen._

_Eighteen._

I could feel the girl growing weak. I was pretty sure she would have passed out by now, if not for my venom causing her so much pain. I could hear her heart stutter over and over, failing in her chest as it tried to pump the remaining blood.

_Eleven._

_Ten. _

_Nine. _

As the last seconds of the day came to an end, I pulled my lips away from the girl's jugular. I could tell that there was still blood left in her system, maybe a pint or two. I could have easily sucked her dry, but I didn't. I hated feeling overfilled and sloshy. Plus, it was time.

At midnight on the dot, I delivered a blow to the girl's head, hearing her skull crack the second my fist hit it. My victim of the night was dead. Tossing her lifeless body into the dumpster, I wiped the blood off the knife and onto my shirt. Licking my lips, I gathered every last bit of the delicious essence. I quickly shed my slightly bloodied clothes and tossed them into the dumpster. My clothes weren't really messy, but I hated wearing my dinner home. Clad only in my boxers, my cowboy hat, and my boots, I walked over to my previous hiding spot where I had stashed a plain white t-shirt and a pair of jeans in a small black bag, along with a dollar store lighter, a red rose, and duct tape.

After quickly getting dressed, I put my blood-free knife into my back pocket. Using the duct tape, I attached the red rose to the wall across from the dumpster; the police would find it in the morning. Making sure I wouldn't be harmed by the flame, I played with the thumbwheel of the lighter until the wick ignited, then tossed it into the dumpster. Within seconds, flames thrashed inside, threatening to spill over the sides.

Even the bitterness of the blood hadn't taken away from the pleasure of its consumption. The fluid of life, the humans called it, and for good reason. I felt a rush of exhilaration shoot through my body. There was nothing like a drink from the fountain of life to lift my spirits. I left the scene with a smirk on my face.

_The Midnight Romeo has struck again._


	2. Who Says You Can't Go Home

**A/N **

**Thanks for the reviews and the alerts! I'm so happy you are enjoying my story. Only one person has caught something important. I'm not going to say the penname, but this person knows who they are. **

**I'm going to try and update every Friday, but there is a chance that an update will come on a Saturday. I made a face book page that will have pictures, teasers, and other types of things related to Midnight Romeo posted on it. There's an album of pictures of Bella's townhouse as well as the outfit she wears in this chapters. The link is on my page.**

**I want to thank my prereader Alley Cat, who keeps me up all night and telling me to trangquilze my pet, and my beta SnarkyMuch, who deals with my changing tenses and phrases that confuse her. (:**

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><p>Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight.<p>

Songs, quotes, etc. belong to their rightful owners.

All other ideas come from the Author.

Copyright © 2011.

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><p><strong>Bella<strong>

_~ The Midnight Romeo has struck again. The victim has been identified as Amy Washington, a nineteen-year-old girl from Poulsbo, Washington. She was heading to her friend's house three nights ago when the killer struck out. This has been the fifth death by the killer this month. The killer has been known to leave a single red rose at the scene of the crime after killing his victims exactly at the stroke of midnight, thus earning him the nickname — The Midnight Romeo. If you have any information on the Midnight Romeo, please contact King 5 news at (206) 448-5555 or contact your local police station. And please, do not go out at night unless you truly have to, and even then, make sure to travel in well-lit places._

The camera panned towards the weatherman, losing my interest quickly. At the moment, I was in Forks, Washington, where the weather was always gloomy and rainy — didn't need the weatherman to know that. Charlie, my father, slumped into one of the five mismatched chairs at the kitchen table. Sue, my step-mother, was just placing her special birthday lunch down on the table.

You see, today was my twenty-third birthday. I used to hate celebrating my birthdays, especially when all it did was bring up bad memories. Fortunately, three years ago, my birthday gained a good memory.

It was the day Charlie proposed to Sue.

He didn't steal my day on purpose, and even if he did, I wouldn't have minded giving him the spotlight. Sue had found the ring while she was cleaning for my arrival. Evidently, Charlie was still terrible at hiding things. When she approached Charlie about it, he had no choice but to propose right then and there. There was no way I was going to ruin Charlie and Sue's good news by being glum, so I sucked it up and put a smile on my face, much like I've been doing since they left, since _he_ left.

I cursed myself mentally, shaking my head. I honestly didn't want to think about that today, even if it was the anniversary of the worse day in my twenty-three years of existance.

"They're talking about the Midnight Romeo again," I said, taking a seat at the table, choosing the one that was the closest to my parents.

The two chairs at the other end of the table were empty and probably would remain so for the rest of our late lunch. Sue's two children, Leah, who was twenty-five, and Seth, who was twenty, could not make it today. I did, in fact, get a voice mail from a hyper Seth and a text message from Leah. Both were happy birthday messages, only Seth's was more enthusiastic. I wouldn't expect any less coming from him, mainly because he had always been a happy person – a complete opposite of his sister. Leah wasn't the most affectionate person, especially after what happened with Sam Uley and Emily Young. Last time I checked, Leah lived in Olympia, dating a woman named Dani. I guess Sam ruined all men for Leah so she switched teams; more power to her, I guess. I wondered how they were working out, seeing as there weren't too many people who could put up with Leah.

"I hope they catch him fast. He's caused so much chaos these past few months," Sue said, placing the plates and silverware down on the table. "I can't even imagine what's going through his head."

"I don't think anyone wants to know what goes on in his head," I said, pouring some of the freshly squeezed lemonade into my glass.

"Enough of that. We shouldn't be talking about some serial killer right now. What's more important is the fact that Bella is finally twenty-three years old," Charlie grumbled with a smile and a twitch of his mustache.

Sue turned off the television in response, much to my disappointment. I didn't usually watch the news, but this Midnight Romeo guy had definitely caught my attention for the past three months. He was already up to eighteen killings, eleven women and seven men. One of the reasons I had been following the story was because I currently lived in Seattle, have been for the past four, almost five, years.

For most of those years, I was attending the University of Washington as an English major. Now, I was the youngest member of their staff. Hell, I had students older than me! Well, I wouldn't call them students, seeing as I was only the assistant advisor of the _Pen and Destiny _literary magazine, but I was to be treated as a teacher and they were a part of the student body. The magazine was a project two friends and myself had started freshman year at the University. With Angela and I both being English majors, we knew how hard it was to get your own work published. Which was why we started _Pen and Destiny, _to give an opportunity to anyone on campus to be published without the displeasure of rejection.

The magazine wasn't just designed to publish the work of English majors, but a good part of the magazine was written by English majors. Each issue was about six pages long, and we made two thousand copies each month. It helped that Ben, the love of Angela's life, worked at The Copy Cafe, a copy shop where he got fifteen percent employee discount. It also helped that we got another discount by putting their advertisement into each issue.

After three months of working out of a large shed the Horticulture Club let us use, the school made our club official, giving us our own office space to work from as well as a company card that was to be used only for the magazine's expenses. The card was monitored and pre-paid, so we had a budget, but it was an enormous step forward for us. Our advisor, Stephenie Marshall, a forty-two year old author, had pulled a lot of strings to get us to where we were.

In the beginning, our staff consisted of only seven people, but now we were up to fifteen members. Angela still helped from time to time, but she did her own thing these days — working for _Between the Lines_ Publishing must be a lot of work. Ben was now working as a graphic designer, although the correct term would probably be a web designer. He always got upset when I said the wrong name. I only did it to get him worked up, something he didn't do very often.

The rest of our lunch was pretty much quiet. Seeing as Charlie and I weren't much for talking, Sue did most of it. Since it was a four-hour drive from Seattle back home to Forks, I rarely made the trip. There were a lot of things I missed in the past years as I was living in Seattle. The bonfires in La Push were definitely one of them, not that I was invited to them anymore. Ever since Jake and I broke up, due to him imprinting, I hadn't set foot in La Push. I wasn't sure if it was because they never invited me or if I was intentionally avoiding going there. All I knew was that visiting La Push was definitely not on my to-do list.

I was brought back to the present when the alarm on the cell phone went off, letting me know that it was time for me to head back to Seattle if I wanted to make it back home on time. Pushing away my now empty plate, I slid my chair back, cringing as it scraped loudly against the tiled floor.

"Lunch was great, Sue, but it looks like it's time for me to head back."

I stretched my limbs as I stood up before gathering my plates and silverware to place in the sink. Sue stood up as well, rushing over to me to take the dirty dishes out of my hands. Not wanting to be rude and start a dish tug-o-war, I let her take the dishes. I wasn't used to having others clean up after me, especially since I lived on my own, so it was still a little hard getting used to when I visited Sue and Charlie.

"Are you sure you have to go? You're welcome to stay another night," Sue offered, and as much as I wanted to, I knew I had to refuse.

"I would, but Sydney already made plans for us tonight. I doubt she'll let me get out of it."

Well, it was mostly true. Sydney, one of the few friends I made in college. She had made plans for us to go out tonight, and she wasn't a fan of rescheduling. The truth was, ever since Laurent mentioned that Victoria was looking for me, I tried to minimize my time back home. If I wasn't in Forks, Victoria wouldn't have a reason to come here. Even though it had been five years and the chances of her attacking me now were slim to none, I still didn't want to take any chances.

Looking at Charlie, I could see the sadness in his eyes, even if he smiled through it. Although we weren't close, and that fact that I had put him through Hell ever since I got here, he still missed having me around. Knowing that he was sad to see me go made me feel guilty for deliberately spending less time at home. Unfortunately, I couldn't change anything. If it would keep my family safe, then I would continue to shorten my time in Forks.

I tried to help with the dishes, but Sue shooed me away. I heard the living room television turn on, letting me know Charlie had left the kitchen and gone into the living room. I hated saying goodbye to Charlie. I knew it wasn't like we weren't going to see each other again, but it was still a little hard.

"So, I'm going to get going," I said, as I leaned against his recliner. I couldn't look at him, instead I stared straight ahead at television where a baseball game was showing.

Tilting his head to the side, Charlie looked up at me. "You be safe out there, you hear, Bells. If anything happens, I want you to call me right away."

"Okay, dad. I promise"

He scrutinized me for a few moments. Ever since my horrible accident my first year here, Charlie had been wary about my safety. I don't think he fully believed the 'fell down the stairs and through a window' lie he had been told. Not wanting to linger too long, I said my goodbyes, grabbed my overnight bag, and left. I didn't look back. I knew that if I took one more glance back to see my parents' not-so-concealed sadness, I wouldn't be going anywhere tonight.

As I started my car, I couldn't help but crack a smile as I thought about Charlie's attempt to secretly stash a can of pepper spray into my overnight bag while I was hugging Sue. When I first left for Seattle to attend college, he had put three cans of pepper spray and one of those keychain alarms that you push when you're in danger into my suitcase. Most people my age would have told him to lay off, but I knew he only did things like this because he cared.

The drive to Seattle took a little over three hours and forty-five minutes, which made it twenty-six minutes after seven o'clock when I reached my townhouse. I actually still live in the same house I lived in during my senior year. I hadn't planned on moving at the time, but when Ben asked Angela to marry him, I knew it was time to give them space.

The first thing I noticed when I walked into the room was the red light blinking on the answer machine. Walking over there, I hoped it wasn't another message about a late bill. I didn't get paid for another two weeks, so if it was a bill collector, I was screwed. The university pays well, I suppose, but most of the people getting paid probably weren't paying for a house and groceries on their own. Well, then again, bitter Ms. Oakley was always being a bitch towards everyone. She must be living alone with that attitude.

Pressing the playback button, I waited impatiently as the machine replayed the old messages I hadn't deleted. Thankfully, there was only one new message, and it was not a bill collector asking for money.

"_Bella!"_ Sydney's voice practically yelled through the small machine. _"Be ready by nine and make sure you've already eaten because we're going straight to the club when I come pick you up! I know, I know. You have a car. You can drive yourself. Blah, blah, blah. Just humor me, okay? Oh, and wear that dress I bought you last week as an early birthday gift and no complaining tonight if you love me! Ciao!"_

I shook my head as the machine clicked off. Sydney was something else, but I did love her. I had known her since my junior year, her freshman year. The first time I met her was her first day when she got lost on campus. She was originally from Rome, Italy, but had lived in Olympia since she was eleven. I helped her find her first class, saving her from being late on her first day like I was my freshman year. To my surprise, she had also showed up for the _Pen and Destiny_ meeting that afternoon. We had been friends ever since.

To be honest, Sydney reminded me of Alice in many ways. For one, she's a tiny little thing with a high pitch voice. She was also into fashion and was a dance major. I used to worry that the only reason I befriended her was because she reminded me of Alice, but there were some definite differences. For instance, while Alice was neat, Sydney was disorganized. I remember seeing the desk in her dorm cluttered with papers, books, and something that reminded me of a high school chemistry project. Another difference would be the fact that Sydney knew the meaning of the word no. Sure, she'd push most of the time, but she would let things go. I couldn't remember a time when Alice had let something go.

Noting that it was half past seven already, I decided to eat and then get ready. Another thing Sydney had in common with Alice was punctuality.

Sydney had arrived ten minutes earlier than she said she would, practically vibrating with excitement.

"I know I'm early, B, but traffic was thinner than I thought!" Sydney called, closing the door behind her as she let herself in.

At first, I was a little wary about giving someone the key to my place, but when I had to go to Hawaii for the week of Angela and Ben's wedding last year, I needed someone to feed my cat Niko, who was currently taking a nap on one of the second floor couches. Sydney was the only one around that I was really close to at the time, and if I wanted Niko to live, I had to suck up my fears and hope that my house wouldn't be cleared out when got back. Luckily, everything was in place and I knew I could trust Sydney to housesit and cat-sit for me anytime.

From my bathroom, I could hear Sydney as she moved through the first floor of my home and up the stairs. I heard her saying a quick hello to my feline friend before she appeared in the doorway of my bedroom."

"I knew that dress would look absolutely amazing on you!" she squealed, practically running to my side admire the dress on me.

Using her finger, she motioned for me to spin around, and I obliged with a frown. After spinning slowly twice, I stopped, facing her with my hands across my chest. Sucking her teeth, Sydney reached towards my face, trying to force a smile using her index fingers at the corners of my mouth.

"Smile, Bella. It's your birthday. You should be happy!"

It had been like this for the past three years since I met Sydney. She always tried to get me to go out and have fun on my birthday. Angela had given up on that for the most part. That was one of the differences between Angela and Sydney. Angela didn't pry or push, but Syd was a digger. It was rare for her to drop a topic right away, especially when she sensed it had to do with something juicy.

r I tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. Sydney sighed, dropping her hands to her sides.

"I'm going to get you to smile tonight, Isabella Swan. Just you watch," she huffed, her frown turning into a smile a few seconds later. "Time for your make-up."

I couldn't help crack a small smile at Sydney. Nothing could keep a frown on her face, unless it was a break-up, but even then, she would be back to her happy-go-lucky self a week later. I sat on the edge of the bed while Sydney raided my bathroom drawers for my make-up, or the lack thereof I should say. I twiddled my thumbs absentmindedly as I waited for her to return. When she did, she did not look pleased with my collection of make-up.

"What the Hell?," she exclaimed, holding two tubes of colors lip gloss, three tubes of eye liner, some mascara, and eye shadow in her clutches. "What happened to the make-up kit I bought you on my shopping trip last month?"

"Making some homeless woman happy," I mumbled jokingly.

"Bella!"

I held up my hands in defense as she playfully swung at me. "I was just kidding. It's on top of the closet, next to the first aid kit. I didn't see the point in keeping it out since I never wear it.""

Sydney rolled her eyes, dropping the make-up on the bed next to me and walking over to my closet. I tried to cover my snicker at the fact that she had to stand on her tippy-toes, but the dirty look she shot me told me that I didn't hide it that well. After grabbing the large square silver case, she walked over to me, shaking her head.

"I sometimes wonder what you would be like if you didn't have me."

"I'd be content, living in a quiet environment with my one cat," I murmured back, playing with the hem of the dress.

"Sounds like the start of a lonely woman's cat collection," she retorted, turning away from my pointed glare.

Sydney placed the case on the bed next to me, flipped the latches, and opened it up. I could remember the first time I had opened that damn case. Half of its contents were a mystery to me, which was to be expected since I wasn't familiar with the types of make-up there was. I honestly saw no point for me to have a case full of make-up, especially since I didn't wear much, if any at all. But Sydney was one persistent person, and on that matter, she wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Is all this really necessary?" I asked, eying the eyeliner pencil in her hand, which looked similar to the one she disposed of on the bed earlier.

Giving me an exasperated look, she replied, "I thought we agreed that you weren't to complain tonight."

I almost pointed out the fact that I hadn't agreed to anything, but changed my mind. Sydney was a pretty happy person, but if you were to push the wrong button, she would become a completely different person, one who would raise Hell in an instant.

Fifteen minutes.

That's how long it took for Sydney to complete my make-up, and you know what? I didn't even look like I had anything on. This was another reason why I thought make-up was pretty much pointless. People apply so much junk to their faces just to make it look like they didn't have any on. It's weird and time-consuming.

After putting food in Niko's dish and kissing him good-bye, we were off in Sydney's white Volkswagen Beetlel heading to RIOT_!_, the club I was being dragged to. The car was a convertible, but since it had been raining these past few days, there had been no reason for the top to be down.

Sydney was talking non-stop on the way to the club, which was a good thing. I wasn't really in the mood to hold a conversation right now. I was having a strange feeling about tonight. I wasn't sure what it was, but it felt like something wasn't sitting right with me. Instead of biting my lip and stressing over it, I shrugged it off. It was probably just nerves because I rarely went out to clubs. It's not like I was still the clumsy little girl of the past. I grew out of that, thankfully. Unfortunately, my dancing skills, or the lack thereof, followed me through my college life. Hopefully, I wouldn't embarrass myself tonight. I didn't know if I could live that down.

The club was pretty packed when we got there. I didn't really like the closeness of the bodies on the dance floor, not that I was claustrophobic or a prude. I just wasn't fond of having random men _and_ women rubbing their sweaty bodies up against me.

The bar was our destination, and it took way too long for us to get there. The bartenders were pretty busy tonight. There were plenty of people surrounding the bar and most of them were women. It turned out that the drinks were half price for women before ten, which was perfectly fine with me. I decided on drinking only one alcoholic drink since it looked like I would be the designated driver for tonight; Sydney was already two _Redheaded Slut_ shots in. I had a simple Lemon Drop Martini while I watched the people on the dance floor. The second I swallowed the olive and placed my empty glass on the bar, Sydney was all but dragging me onto the dance floor.

I almost forgot about Sydney being a lightweight when it came to drinking as well as being a touchy drunk. I honestly didn't think two shots would have done her in, but I guess I was wrong seeing as she was grinding against my backside at the very moment.

A frustrated groan left her mouth. Apparently, I wasn't dancing well enough for her because she started to complain.

"Bella! You're not loose enough! I think you need another drink!" she virtually yelled into my ear.

I yanked my head away from hers a little. The bass from the music was painful enough. I didn't need her loud voice to make it worse.

"I'm the designated driver tonight, seeing as you're already over the limit! No more drinks for this girl!"

"Then loosen up and dance or I will be pouring Tequila shots right down your throat!"

I couldn't help but picture Sydney forcing a shot down my throat, something I knew she wasn't afraid to do. A giggle escaped my mouth as the funny scene played in my head. Deciding that dancing wasn't the worst I could do, I let my body move with the music. Really getting into it, I threw my hands in the air and spun around. When my eyes caught up with my sudden movement, I froze at the first thing they landed on — eyes. But not just any eyes.

_Red eyes_.


	3. I Always Feel Like Somebodys Watching Me

**A/N**

**Sorry for the late update. Usually it's Friday or Saturday, but school just started up for me, so my time to write is limited. Bare with me, please. It may take a few weeks for my schedule to get back on track. **

**I want to thank my Beta, SnarkyMuch, and my Pre-reader, AlleyCat, because without them, this would look like crap and make little to no sense grammar wise. **

**On the Midnight Romeo face book page ( ****http:/www(dot)facebook(dot)com/!/pages/Midnight-Romeo/279728378709828**** ) I have uploaded a picture of Sydney for those who want to see what she looks like. You can also find outfits and pictures of Bella's townhouse, and teasers which we all love! I will be posting pictures of the other characters, even some who haven't been introduced yet and some who you should all already know as well as location pictures when they are needed. **

**On another note, I'm writing a PaulxBella short story for Fandom for Texas Wildfire Relief. Please, please, PLEASE donate! Although I do not live in Texas, I do have family there so this means a lot to me.**

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><p>Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight.<br>Songs, quotes, etc. belong to their rightful owners.  
>All other ideas come from the Author.<br>Copyright © 2011.

* * *

><p><strong>Bella<strong>

I could feel the blood in my body run cold as I stood frozen mid-dance move. Even though it was dark and the eyes weren't focused on me, I knew they were red, and it wasn't just red contacts. They were the same eyes that haunted my thoughts and dreams five years ago. Eyes of a vampire, and not just any vampire either.

A human drinker.

In my time, I had only run into three vampires of that kind, all of which wanted to drink my blood themselves. Apparently, my blood was more potent to all vampires, but it stuck out the most to one, _him._ Fortunately, two of my pursuers were dead. On the other hand, one of the dead ones had a mate who was out to avenge his murder and had been chasing after me the past five years. She's out there somewhere, plotting her revenge. How will she do it? By killing me and drinking my blood, and something told me it would not be quick.

The eyes I was still staring at suddenly met mine, obviously sensing that I was looking at him. My fear increased ten fold as he stared intently at me. He was gorgeous from what I could see, but then again, all vampires were gorgeous, even the sadistic ones who wanted to have me for dinner. It was pretty dark in the room, and I could only see quick glimpses of the vampire's face when the lights flashed. Of course, the thing that kept my attention was his eyes which were growing darker by the second. Not a good thing.

A hand landed on my shoulder, causing me to shriek and jump, but when I turned around, I saw that it was only Sydney. Of course it wasn't a vampire since I was staring at him when the hand touched me.

I heard Sydney yell, but I wasn't focused enough to understand what was being sai.

Taking a glance over my shoulder, I noticed the vampire was gone, and the realization caused my heart to beat faster in my chest. Where was he? My eyes scanned the club, but there were too many people, too many close bodies, for me to tell where he was. I could feel my heart beating faster and my breathing picking up as my eyes continued to look frantically around the darkened area.

"Bella!" Sydney yelled to get my attention. "Are you okay? You look like you're going to be sick!"

I couldn't have agreed more. "Syd, I think I am going to be sick. Can we leave? Now!"

I grabbed at her arm and started making my way toward the exit. I was literally pulling Sydney behind me; I could hear her heels as she stumbled to keep up. It didn't take long for us to get to the white car we had managed to squeeze in between two other cars on the street.

"Bella, wait," Sydney called, tugging on my arm to stop me.

Looking back, I saw her holding the car keys out to me while her other arm was stretched against her stomach. That's when I remembered that she had been well on her way to drinking her weight in alcohol. If I wasn't going to get sick, Sydney sure was. After grabbing her keys by the Hello Kitty keychain charm, I quickly unlocked the vehicle and had my seatbelt on before Sydney could even get in. I checked in my mirrors for traffic as I started the car.

Movement in the alley between the club and a gift shop caught my attention. When my eyes focused on what it was, I shuddered. It was a person, and he, or she, was staring at me. It was hard to make out who it was, but I assumed it was the vampire from the club. I quickly pulled out of the space and stepped on the gas. I knew that this little beetle would be no match for vampire speed, but I couldn't help but feel a little better knowing that I wasn't walking or waiting for a bus.

Thanks to my maniac driving, I was pulling up to my townhouse in no time. Sydney had felt sick on the way because of my fast driving, so her head was leaning towards the window to get some fresh air. I put her window up before turning the car off and unlocking the doors.

"Come on, Sydney. We're here," I said as I was taking off my seatbelt.

Instead of getting out of the car, I glanced around anxiously, looking around the area for the vampire. Not seeing him, I climbed out the door. Realizing that Sydney had not moved, I rushed around the other side to see that she was well on her way to being passed out, her face pressed against the car door. Carefully opening the door so she won't fall to the ground, I helped Sydney out, leaning her against the car while I shut and locked the door. I slung her arm over my shoulder, getting her to lean on me as I shuffled us towards the front door of my domicile. Even though she was small, she was heavier than I expected.

The hardest thing I had to do tonight was get her up the stairs. She nearly slid out of my grip a few times, but I managed to get her into my bedroom without tripping over Niko as he constantly walked between my legs. Laying her on the bed, I began to undress her, replacing her red sequined shirt and gold leggings for a large black t-shirt I had gotten from Jake that I never returned. The black t-shirt seemed to make her look smaller, something that I would have to tease her about in the morning.

I grabbed some clothes and slipped into the bathroom to change. I didn't want to stay away from her for too long as I didn't know if the vampire had followed me home and was thirsty. After donning a pair of purple plaid boxer shorts and a purple tank top, I climbed into bed beside Sydney. I clapped my hands twice and the light went out. I used to think The Clapper was a stupid device and that people should stop being lazy, but once college came along, I realized how useful it actually was.

Once my head hit the pillow, I was asleep. I slept all night, not waking until the light streamed in from the bedroom window. Stretching my arms, I felt the bed beside me. It was empty and cold, meaning Sydney was up and had been for a while. Unless...

I jumped to my feet and ran out my room. I could hear clanging noises as well as voices coming from the kitchen, alerting me that someone was here. I grabbed the closest thing to me, a hanger that was hanging from the door knob of my bedroom door. Slowly and carefully, I stepped around the corner and towards the kitchen, holding the hanger up like a weapon. The noises got louder, but when I peeked into the doorway of the kitchen, I let out a breath of relief, the tension in my body easing away.

Sydney was in the kitchen, singing and dancing to the radio as she cooked on the stove. A laugh bubbled out of me as I saw her dancing in the black shirt as she struggled to keep it on. The sound of my laughter alerted her to my presence. She turned to see me laughing, squeezing a hanger in my grip.

"What the hell?" she asked, chuckling at me. "Why are you gripping a hanger?"

I tried to calm down my laughter so I could reply, but instead I was gasping for air in between words.

"I thought," gasp, "you were," gasp, "a killer or something."

That made her laugh even harder. "So you grabbed a hanger? What were you doing to do, hang me up and put me in the closet?"

After a few more moments of laughing, Sydney continued to cook and I sat on the foot stool in the kitchen with my legs crossed. Even though we were silent, the room wasn't. The smell of bacon, peppers, and onions filled the air with their aromas. The sound of music coming from the radio, bacon sizzling in the pan, and her whipping eggs in a bowl filled the air. The timer on the coffee machine buzzed, alerting us that the coffee was done. I found comfort in the noise, especially since vampire scare last night. Being around things that vampires wouldn't have made acting like it didn't happen much easier.

Watching Sydney move through the kitchen with ease made me smile. I was not a lesbian or bisexual, but I'd marry this girl. She's pretty awesome the way she is always there for me, always working off her stay by cooking and cleaning. She never judge me about my weird and sometimes sudden actions, never needing an explanation for it.

Sydney snuck a peek at me as she poured the eggs into the pan. "Are you daydreaming about our wedding again?" she joked.

So I may have mentioned my potential marriage proposal to her a few times as a joke, and she liked to tease me about it all the time. Of course, neither of us thought anything of it since we're both straight, but I do call her my wife at times. It also comes in handy when we get hit on repulsive men while we're together. Nothing like throwing up the lesbian card to turn away the creeps. But then again, there are some creeps that like that stuff.

Instead of answering her question, I shrugged. Niko walked into the kitchen despite knowing he wasn't allowed in while I was cooking because he always manages to somehow swipe some food and become sick afterwards. Only when I had company I allowed him to come in the kitchen, and that's because one of us would be able to watch him while the other cooked. He approached me and hopped up in my lap with a small meow. I started to scratch his back as I watched Sydney put the cheese, peppers, and onions in the omelets.

"I'm thinking we should go out and hit the shops since last night was a fail," Sydney said, flipping the omelet over.

"Maybe. Can't we just stay here?" I have no clue why I asked. Sydney usually gets her way.

"Nope." She took the bacon out of the pan and hung it over the bacon rack before glancing at the clock. "It's nine-forty now. I want to be on the road by ten-thirty."

And so, at ten-thirty, we were pulling out of the parking lot in Sydney's car. I have no idea why we couldn't take my car since it _was_ bigger, but then again, Sydney just bought this car and she loved driving it around. That's right, I got a new car. Big Red huffed out her last chug a few weeks after I graduated high school, and since I couldn't have a car on campus my freshman year of college, I saved up all my money to get a new car for sophomore year. I ended up getting a 2009 Chevy Impala in black. I spent nearly every penny I had saved on it, but it was worth it.

We spent nearly three hours shopping, and while Sydney was enjoying it, I wasn't feeling the same way. I felt I was being watched the entire time. It kept me on edge all day, making it hard to enjoy myself. The first thing that sprung to my mind was the vampire from last night. Could it be him that was watching me? I mean, it would make sense for him to be stalking me to kill me since he could tell I knew about him, right? That is what _he_ said that some vampires did. Or he could be doing Victoria a favor, only this time I wouldn't have the Quileute wolves to protect me. I could always go to La Pus... Nevermind. That would just bring up the past and cause too many problems in the future.

The rest of the weekend went the same way. Every where I went, even when I was inside my own home, I felt as if I was being watched. I even heard Niko hissing in the bedroom while I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth for bed, but when I went to see what he was hissing at, I didn't see anything. Needless to say, I have been afraid to go to sleep at night. To be honest, I wished that whoever this vampire was would hurry up and finish me off. I was tired of being paranoid and always looking around.

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><p>Monday came fast and the feeling went away, hopefully for good. I didn't have to go onto campus until four but had to stay late because Ms. Marshall was attending a concert at her seven-year-old grandson's elementary school in Yakima, which was two and a half hours drive from Seattle. We still had a week and a half until the next issue went to print, so while everyone was rushing to get the issue ready, nobody was really staying for late hours.<p>

It was twenty-six after seven when the late student, Melissa, was leaving the room to head back to her dorm.

"Oh, sorry." I heard her say in her soft voice as she bumped into something - or someone - in the hallway.

I didn't hear a reply and paid it no mind as I started packing up my things. I would stay until eight in case one of the people who had missed the meeting because of class stopped by for an overview of what happened, but that was a rare occurrence.

As I stacked several sheets of paper into a pile and started to place it in my tote bag, the door of the room slammed close, causing me to jump. Looking up for the cause of this sudden disturbance, my brown eyes met an all too familiar pair of red ones.


	4. How To Save A Life

**A/N **

**SO SORRY ABOUT THE LONG BREAK. I've been having computer issues and I still am, but luckily I was able to actually get through to my pre-reader, AlleyCat, whom is like my best friend in the Fandom world. I haven't gotten a reply back from my beta, so I'm not sure if it had gotten through to her. **

**So no, this chapter isn't beta'd completely.**

** My pre-reader has fixed quite a few things so I'm confident that I could post this. Plus, I didn't want you guy to wait much longer.**

**I actually have a new system with my pre-reader which should help get these chapters out to you faster, atleast twice a month. **

**Most of you should already know about what's next to come in the next chapter, but there will be some twists.**

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><p>Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight.<br>Songs, quotes, etc. belong to their rightful owners.  
>All other ideas come from the Author.<br>Copyright © 2011.

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><p><strong>Bella<strong>

I stood frozen in fear as the blood drained from my face. The vampire was here, in my office, and we were alone. I swallowed loudly, and I wondered if anyone was close enough to hear me were I toscream. Surely he would be so distracted by my blood that he wouldn't go after them before they could call for help, right?

The vampire cocked his head to the side as he stared at me, almost if he was inquiring something about me. As he studied me, I studied him. My memory of last Friday night hadn't done him any justice. Because of how dark it was that night, I wasn't able to see how rugged and angled his jaw was. I couldn't see the slight, natural pout of his lips, or the way his unruly blond curls fell into his face. The broadness of his shoulders and the stance he was standing in made him seem more dominant, more frightening, the things that I was able to notice now. The one thing that remained the same was the deep crimson eyes he sported.

There was something else I hadn't noticed in the darkness of the club; the bite marks that marred almost every visible part of his body. I was even able to see one on his forehead, peeking out from under the curls that had fallen into his face. They were very faint, but I was able to see the slight glimmer under the florescent lights of the room. The sound of his voice-hard, calculating-scared the shit out of me as it suddenly broke the silence in the room.

"You know what I am."

It wasn't a question, so I hadn't answered. Even if it was a question, I don't think it would have answered.

"You know what I am, and I want to know how you know, and why you're still alive."

My breath got caught in my throat as my eyes widened slightly. Was he going to kill me? I knew he wasn't hungry-the brightness of his eyes told me so-but I wasn't stupid; I knew that some vampires killed for the sake of killing, not just for the sustenance. Perhaps he was one of them.

"I'm not going to kill you...yet."

I hadn't realized I had spoken my question aloud. It was that, or he was a mind reader like..._him_, but I remembered him mentioning that while vampires had similar abilities, they were never completely the same, so I knew it was unlikely the case.

I hadn't noticed the vampire moving closer to me until he was about a foot and a half away. How hadn't I noticed he was moving closer to me? I was too caught up in past bullshit that altered my life forever, that's how.

The vampire looked as if he was going to say something when the door suddenly opened. I peered over his shoulder to see one of my more annoying student staff, Laurie Morgan. Seeing as I was cool to most of the students I talked to, I was a little privy to the gossip and rumors, some of which may or may not have been true; anything pertaining Laurie Morgan was usually true.

Laurie's eyes quickly shifted from me to the vampire in front of me, who was doing a bit of shuffling before rubbing his eyes. That was a bit strange because vampires didn't have reasons to rub their eyes, especially since it's not like rubbing them would make the red tint go away.

"Ms. Swan, who do we have here? A new student?" Laurie asked, her eyes never straying from the deadly vampire in front of me. The last of her words filled with a sultriness.

Of course she would be wondering if he was a new student. Laurie has probably slept with— or tried to sleep with—any hot guy on campus, and a new student would be a victory lay. My eyes rolled at that thought. _What the hell? Was that a hint of jealousy?_ But then again, who wouldn't be jealous of the person who gets to have sex with this man? I knew I would, even though the chances of Laurie sleeping with this man and living to tell a soul were slim and none.

Before I could come up with a plausible lie, the vampire in front of me spoke, his face turning away from me and toward the student for the first time.

"We're just old friends."

The sound of his voice was different. It was neither cold nor hard as it was just moments ago. No, it was filled with a very sexy, southern twang that caused some slight tingling in my lower abdomen. His eyes flashed to mine quickly before looking back at Laurie, who was looking more than slightly flustered.

That's when I realized why he shuffled and rubbed his eyes. It wasn't out of non-existent irritation; it was because he had put dark brown contacts in, making his eyes appear muddy brown, rather than red.

Feignin checking his watch, the vampire let out a false sigh. "Looks like it's time for me to go."

_Yes, please leave,_ I thought to myself, hoping I didn't look as desperate on the outside as I sounded in my head.

Laurie's eyes widened slightly, and she opened her mouth to speak. "No! Don't leave on my account. I can come back later when you two are done," she eyed me with a hint of distaste as she continued, "talking."

In that moemnt, she reminded me of Lauren Mallory from back in high school. She spoke about me in a similar nasally voice with the same expression distaste on her face. She always hated me for some reason, and I believe it was a certain someone who was attracted to me, or pretended to be, when I first arrived in Forks.

Pushing Forks aside, I came back to the present, and in the present, I wanted to lock Laurie in this room with me. There was a slight chance that I would make it out alive if I wasn't alone with him. Now, I wasn't a violent person. Hell, if I tried to hit some one, I was pretty sure I'd hurt myself more than them, but I really didn't want to be alone with him, unless it was in the middle of an open, crowded street and in broad daylight.

Luckily, the vampire had other plans.

"That's quite alright. We can talk later, darlin'."

His endearment threw me off guard, and I looked up into his eyes which were hard once again, though his voice was slow and natural. He drew me closer as if he was going to hug me, but instead, he whispered several words in my ear, words that made the very slight curl of my lips fall.

"This conversation is far from over. I'll be around, and when I am, we will be finishing this before I decide your fate."

I felt a slight chill run down my spine, causing me to delicately shiver against him. We were silent for a moment, and in that moment, I heard Laurie scoff while saying something that sounded along the lines of, "_old friends, my ass_." The vampire backed off, made his way to the door, and left almost as silently as he came. I hadn't realized the slight daze he had left me in until Laurie's voice snapped me out of it.

"Are you fucking him?"

I was sure that if I had been drinking something, it would be all over the table or stuck in my throat. I sneered at her crude way of wording her question, but I quickly replaced it with a small, fake it as I turned in her direction.

"No, we aren't _having sex_," I said, stressing the last two words, failing to hide the slight annoyance in my voice.

Ignoring the annoyance directed towards her, she shrugged, checking her nails the same way a certain _Cullen_ did when she spoke to or ignored me.

"Good, because I don't like leftovers."

_Not what I heard_, I thought to myself. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't turn her down if she propositioned him for sex, though he would probably help himself to a little more than one type of body fluid. And though I might not mind if she does go miss- _NO! Do not think like that._ But then again, he's going to kill someone anyway, why can't it be someone I find highly annoying?

_You know what, I'm just going to find out what this girl wants, go home, and lock myself in for that night. Yeah, that sounds like a plan._

"Um, Laurie, not to be rude or anything, but why are you here this late? You were at the meeting, so I'm not sure why you came back."

Laurie looked a little taken aback for a second, but then a smug smile appeared on her face. I wondered what she could be thinking of; though I'm not sure I really cared. Something weird and stupid usually happens in that head, which is why we gave her the job of picking the art drawn by some of the students. Of course her picks weren't final, but she did have a good eye for art, which was a good thing, her being an Art History major and all.

If there was one thing that Laurie knew, and to be honest I think it's the only thing she knew, it was art. I know that sounds mean, but I'm sure many would agree if they spend more than five minutes with her.

"I had left my bag in the back by the computers, but I'm glad I did. I think I may just hurry and see if I can find your _old friend _in the parking lot. Who knows, maybe he'll become _my _new friend."

Ignoring her words, I turned my back to her and continued to gather my items.

"I don't know. He moves pretty fast, also,I think he's married."

"So? Just because he's married, doesn't mean he's happy."

I always had a feeling that Laurie was one of _those_ girls, and she just confirmed my assumption. I shook my head as I thought of her sleeping with married men. It was just disgusting to even think about, and not just because it was Laurie. Men were pigs, well, _most _were; the rest were prudes.

"Well, good luck with that. Have a good night, Laurie." _Is it bad that I almost called her Lauren?_

"I plan to, Ms. Swan. I plan to."

All the way home, I couldn't help but feel a little weird. Not that feeling that I was being watched. No, this was a little different, and it left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. Instead of going straight home, I stopped over by Little Thai Restaurant. I loved that place, mainly because not a lot of student knew about it, so it wasn't full of loud, raucous behavior.

I ordered the pad Thai and the Panang curry along with their famous Thai Iced Tea. I didn't mind sitting alone and eating. I liked people-watching, and the work staff was pretty nice. Wow, I sounded like a loner, or as Sydney would have put it I was '_on my way to __becominging a cat lady_.'

It didn't take long for me to finish dinner. Half an hour, give or take, and I was on my way home. The rest of my plan was in action. I was going to lock my house up, windows as well, take a quick shower, and snuggle up with Niko on the couch, if he is feeling friendly, that is. For the past two or three days, he's been acting a little strange. Sometimes I would find him in full attack modes as if he could sense danger, even though there was nothing there. I'd hear him hissing at something, but when I looked to see who or what it was, there was nothing there. I wondered if cats can go crazy, and if there were any treatments.

I opened the door, calling out to my beloved feline as I entered. He came running down the stairs before he stopped suddenly, hissing at me. _What the hell? _I looked behind me; nobody was there, yet Niko continued to hiss. _Was he hissing at me? What the hell did I do to him?_ Then again, I probably smelled like curry, a scent that Niko hated. Anytime I brought curry home, he'd avoid me like the plague. After a shower and a change of clothes, Niko would be back to his normal self.

Since I was going to be inside for the rest of the night, I locked every door and window in the townhouse. I wasn't taking any chances with unlocked entryways. I jogged up the stairs and headed straight to the bedroom to get some clothes to change into after my shower. Niko was following me but with a distance. _Wow, that curry smell must be really strong to him_.

After a quick shower, I changed into a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. It was starting to get colder at night, but it was still warm enough for me to wear shorts. As I was towel drying my hair, I heard Niko completely freaking out in the bedroom, hissing and screeching. Just as I opened the bathroom door, he stopped, and it got really quiet, too quiet. Cautiously and as quietly as I could, I walked out of the bathroom and looked around the very short hallway.

"Niko?" I called out warily.

I looked toward my bedroom and took a few steps in when the door slammed closed behind me, causing me to up back, spinning around in petrified.

"Did you honestly think locked windows and doors would stop me from getting in here?"

I knew that locks won't stop him, but I wasn't leaving the door open for him. I continued to walk backwards, but when the back of my legs hit my bed, I realized there was no escape for me.

"You know, you have a nice place. It'll make someone else pretty happy in the future," he said as he stepped closer.

I was sure my heartbeat was deafening to him, because I could hear it pretty loud in my own ears. My eyes didn't stray from his red ones. They were darker than they were an hour ago, meaning he was growing thirsty. That didn't make me feel any better.

"I noticed there weren't any personal touches laying around. No pictures of your family or friends. Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked before shaking his head and answering his own question. "No, of course you don't."

He chuckled which made his words a lot more callous than it already was. And because of that, I tried to defend myself.

"How do you know that I don't have a boyfriend?"

"Two reasons. One, you would have spoken to him over the past few days, in person or over the telephone. The other reason is that the only masculine scent in this townhouse is mine and that pest you call a cat. Of course, you could have aired the house out, which might have gotten rid of the smell, but I know you haven't had a man over here in the past few days. Not in the morning, not in the afternoon, and certainly not for any type of bedtime activities."

His words caused a slightly red tint to rise on my neck and cheeks. I could see his nostrils flare as he smelled my blood. I knew I should have stopped there before I was humiliated even more, but I couldn't help but wonder how he knew this. It couldn't be just because he scented my would explain the eerie feeling of being followed. Before I could even open my mouth to speak again, the vampire in front of me spoke.

"I have been watching you in these past few days," he said, confirming my suspicions. "You didn't really think that I would just leave you alone, did you?" He smirked. "I was waiting for the opportune moment. To be honest, it came much sooner than I thought it would be."

I couldn't help but snort softly when he said he had be staying in my room for the past few days. _Sort of like a déjà vu, in a twisted way_.

"You are just like Edward," I accidentally let slip, not expecting the flicker of long-standing pain to shoot through my body.

The vampire must have caught this because his eyebrows furrowed. "Who is this 'Edward' you speak of, and why does his name cause you so much pain?"

_Might as well get comfortable_, I thought, sighing as I sat down on my bed, not feeling as threatened as I did before. Maybe I could do this like Scheherazade and the thousand and one nights and be able to put off my impending doom.

"This is the story of how one naïve lamb foolishly fell in love with a lion."

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><p><strong>For those who don't know about Scheherazade and the thousand and one nights, I'll give you the clip-notes version. King Shahryar never felt like he could trust women because his brother's wife was unfaithful as well as his own wife, so he had her executed. He decided that he would get married one day, to only virgins, and the next he would have her killed before she had a chance to dishonor him. There were no more virgins, so Scheherazade offered herself up. That was when she came up with the clever idea to start telling a story one night, but if the King wanted to hear the ending, he would have to wait until the next night, postponing her execution. When the next night would come, she would finish the story and start, and only start, another one. She continued doing this for 1001 nights, thus changing the mind of the king. Scheherazade's stories are ones that many may know, such as <em>Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp<em>, _Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves_, and _The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor_.**


	5. Gonna Give All My Secrets Away

**Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight.**  
><strong>Songs, quotes, etc. belong to their rightful owners.<strong>  
><strong>All other ideas come from the Author.<strong>  
><strong>Copyright © 2011.<strong>

* * *

><p>I bit my lip, wondering where to start. He most likely wouldn't care about the minor details like where I came from, why I moved to Forks, what drew me in to him-not like I knew the answer to that one-and any other things that could come to mind. Just thinking about what I was about to explain caused little sparks of pain to ignite in my chest. I took a few shuddering breaths as I readied myself.<p>

The room was silent. It could have been that way for seconds, minutes, hours; I didn't notice the passage of time. However long it was, I was thankful for the vampire in front of me for not pushing me. Somehow, I knew he could sense how hard this was for me. I'm not sure how he knew, but it was something I was grateful for. Releasing a deep breath, I began to speak.

"I was seventeen when I moved back to Forks. I saw him, _them,_ on my first day of school. It was in the cafeteria and I was sitting with a group of...friends?" I hadn't meant for it to come out as a question, but to be honest, besides Angela, I wasn't sure if any of them were truly my friends.

"There were four of them. They walked with this certain sort of air. Many would call it arrogance of some sort, but I think it was just because of who they were, _what_ they were. Of course, I had no idea that they weren't…human…at the time, but I knew they were different. It was obvious: the expensive cars that were too ostentatious for the small town, the designer clothes that everyone knew had cost a fortune, the fact that they were all flawlessly beautiful and walked with effortless grace that could make even the most highly-trained ballerina jealous.

"You'd think they would fit in somehow, or at least had people flocking to them, wanting to be their friend to get a hand in their luxurious lifestyle. But no, everyone gave them a wide berth when they passed and only talked about them in hush whispers. It was strange.

"I met….E-Edward…in the next class, Biology. I was already fascinated with him from the whispered gossip in the cafeteria. They were all adopted by the local doctor and his wife, though they only looked to be in their late twenties, early-thirties, much too young to parent children.

"A girl at the table thought it was weird that two of the four were dating. The other two were twins, so it was obvious they weren't going to date. Edward was one of them. The same girl told me not to get my hopes up, because he didn't date, that he thought the girls weren't good enough for him, or something like that . Honestly, I just think it was a bunch of sour grapes, but—" I cut myself off, realizing the slightly bitter tone my voice was taking.

I glanced up at the vampire, his eyes staring intently at me. Blushing slightly, I ducked my head.

"Sorry. Anyway, I met Edward in Biology, though 'met' wouldn't have been the correct term. I had barely set foot into the room when he reacted, giving me the most murderous glare imaginable. At that moment, I had wished that the floor would open up and swallow me. I didn't notice how tense he was until I stumbled into my seat. I was pretty maladroit back then." I could feel my cheeks heating as I remembered just how clumsy I was back then; it hadn't gotten better much, but at least I didn't trip over the air… most of the time.

"For the next few days, I was pretty much having mixed feelings. Some days I wanted to stay home and hide, while others I wanted to find him and demand what his issue was. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on what I was feeling that day, he didn't show up, though the rest of his siblings did.

"When he did come back, he spoke to me, asking random questions to break the ice, I guess. I almost thought I had imagined that first day. After that, things were a little… awkward? I mean, we weren't really talking much, if any. Mostly it was biology related and when we were required to. Like I said before, I didn't realize how strange Edward and his family were, but one day, I came one step closer to finding out."

A yawn escaped my mouth, causing my tear ducts to react, filling my eyes with slightly stinging tears. Rubbing my eyes, I asked if I could sleep and finish this later. When I didn't get a response, I moved my hands away from my face to see the vampire staring at me attentively, his head cocked to the side. I opened my mouth to ask him why he was looking at me like that, but instead of words, a yawn came out again.

I groaned; the tears from yawning were always annoying. Before I could reach up and wipe the tears away, a gust of wind blew, causing me to close my eyes, forcing a tear to escape down my cheek. When I felt a cold finger lightly brush my cheek, my eyes popped open. That was when I realized just what that gust of wind was.

The vampire had moved closer, capturing the escaped tear on his finger, staring at it, his finger close to his face as if he was trying to see every molecule. Then again, he probably could. In a flash, he brought his finger to his mouth, tasting the salty tear. Oddly, I didn't think it was strange. Okay, so maybe a little.

The slightly stinging sensation of the tears in my eyes began to irritate me. I brought my hands to my eyes and rubbed the moisture away. While I was rubbing my eyes, I felt a small breeze before something light landed on the bed next to me. Opening my eyes, I saw that the vampire was gone and that Niko had come out of hiding.

Too tired to get up and shower, I stripped down to my underwear and climbed under the covers, Niko curled up by my feet. If I woke up on time, I'd be able to take a shower in the morning instead of the time I usually take one, at night, and still make it to work on time. On regular days, I tended to hit the snooze button on my alarm clock, welcoming the ten extra minutes of sleep.

Unfortunately, neither happened, seeing as my alarm didn't go off! I woke up feeling completely rested and content. I stretched with a smile on my lips. The only weird thing was the fact that Niko was already gone. Usually, he would scare the shit out of me by staring in my face, waiting for me to get up. Rolling over toward my clock, I saw that it was well after ten o'clock, jolting me right out of my peaceful awakening.

Tossing the covers off of me and rushing to my feet, I started towards my closet. I saw a figure in my peripheral and froze, realizing why Niko wasn't here waiting for me to wake up. I slowly turned around to see my stalker vampire standing in the corner of the room.

"You could have given a girl a warning," I grumbled, turning back to my closet, looking for something suitable to wear to work.

"Duly noted for the future, but if you are going to wake up like that all the time, I doubt you will be getting any type of warning."

It took me a few seconds to understand what he was implying; I was standing in front of him in my plain black bra and ladybug underwear. Blushing furiously, I quickly grabbed a t-shirt from my closet, pulling it over my head. Luckily, it reached about mid-thigh, but I was still a little uncomfortable with showing this much skin around him. I hadn't even shown this much skin around Edward, not that he would have approved of it. We could barely kiss like a normal couple without him pulling away and scolding me. Then again, we weren't a normal couple.

That was when I realized that I had thought about my past relationship with Edward and the pain was a little more bearable. I guess talking about it aloud with someone was able to help me let go. Technically, I wasn't really talking with someone, more like _to _someone. Either way, it helped.

There was only one other person I could talk about Edward with, but the pain was still too raw and new for his hateful words. I felt a more intense pain wash over me, causing one of my arms to cross over my stomach; and the other gripped the edge of the t-shirt, keeping it from riding up with my movement. I didn't even have to think of his name for the pain to ease its way into my body. It had been about four years, yet the pain was still intense.

"Looks like I don't have to find a way to bring up our conversation. Judging by the pain you're feeling, you must be thinking of it already."

Instead of correcting him that I wasn't thinking of Edward, I thought about the rest of his sentence.

"How do you know?"

"The pain you are feeling right now is very similar to the pain you felt last night when we were talking about your past."

I shook my head, sitting down on the edge of my bed. Despite the fear I still had about being around him, I looked down at my lap. It was a stupid thing to do, especially when I knew the vampire wouldn't hesitate to kill me. Pushing my fear back from the forefront of my mind, I looked back up at the vampire.

"No. How did you know what I was feeling?"

"I am an empath; I am able to know what you are feeling as well as make you feel something. The only downfall is the fact that others' emotions can affect me as well. It's a curse and a blessing, I suppose."

I watched the vampire as he looked out the bedroom window. It was raining and would probably continue to rain all day. We stayed silent for a moment; the only sound was the pitter-patter of the rain hitting the roof. I was quiet, not really knowing what to say. I didn't know why he was keeping quiet, but after a short while, he finally spoke. Our silence didn't last for long, as the vampire by the window spoke again.

"Now, this is what's going to happen: I'm going to sit here and you're going to finish your story. When you're done, I'll decide upon your fate. Though I can promise you now, that it probably won't be pleasant. You're a human who knows too much, so don't expect to live much longer."

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><p><strong>AN**

**Sorry for the long wait as well as the short chapter. I've been going through a lot right now, but thanks for sticking with me. Sadly, I lost my beta and my prereader, but that's alright. I'll either request for a new one or continue without one. It doesn't bother me much. I'm still pretty busy, but I'm hoping to update this story once a week as well as Collect and Conquer. I'm hoping I can update this every Saturday and Collect and Conquer every Sunday, but I'm not sure this will always be the case.**

**Thanks for sticking me,**

**Peace love and Jasper bites.**


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